This paper gives a critical overview of capillary electrophoresis (CE) methodologies recently developed for controlling and optimizing the synthesis of nanoparticles as well as characterizing their functionalization in terms of physicochemical properties. Thanks to their electrophoretic mobility, various parameters can be determined, such as NP size and charge distribution, ζ-potential, surface functionality, colloidal stability, grafting rates, and dissociation constants, allowing not only the complete characterization of new nanoprobes but also helping in their design and in the selection of chemical conditions for their storage and further manipulation. New strategies for the improvement of CE detection sensitivity are also described.
Keywords: Biocompatibility; Capillary electrophoresis; Nanoparticle design; Physicochemical characterization; Sensitivity; Stability; Surface chemistry.